SBL Round 16 (Regular Season): No surprise as #1 Ittihad defeat Al Salam

Here is the last round review presented by Job Market.

SBL top team - Ittihad (14-2) had no problems winning another game on Friday. This time they beat eighth ranked Al Salam (7-9) in Al-Awamiyah 96-80. It ended at the same time the four-game winning streak of Al Salam. Worth to mention a quality performance of American guard Kevin Murphy (197-1990, college: Tenn Tech) who helped to win the game recording 18 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists and the other American import center James Edwards Jr (211-1997, college: Southern) who added 20 points during the contest. Ittihad's coach Mohamed Kardani used entire bench which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. At the losing side American swingman Brandon Spearman (191-1991, college: Hawaii) responded with 30 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists. Ittihad have an impressive five-game winning streak. They maintain first position with 14-2 record. Al Salam at the other side keeps the eighth place with nine games lost. Ittihad are looking forward to face Al Fateh (#6) in Al Hasa in the next round where they are favorite. Al Salam will play on the road against Al Ahli in Jeddah and is hoping to prove to their fans that the loss was just an accident.
Bottom-ranked Deba (0-13) is still winless. This time they lost on the road their 13th consecutive match to sixth ranked Ohod (9-6) 122-105. The winners were led by American guard Jonathon Simmons (198-1989, college: Houston) who scored that evening 28 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists and Henry Sims supported him with 18 points and 8 rebounds. Ohod's coach allowed to play the deep bench players saving starting five for next games. Even a triple-double of 36 points (!!!), 12 rebounds and 10 assists by American-Jamaican guard Josh Nicholas (190-1998, college: ULM) did not help to save the game for Deba. Ohod moved-up to fifth place. Deba at the other side still closes the standings with 13 games lost. Ohod will play against bottom-ranked Al Taawoun (#12) in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Deba will play against Al Wehda and hopes to get finally their first victory.
Bottom-ranked Al Taawoun (0-15) is still winless. This time they lost on the road their 15th consecutive match to seventh ranked Al Wehda (8-8) 100-83 on Friday evening. Donte McGill fired a double-double by scoring 53 points (!!!), 9 rebounds and 11 assists for the winners. Al Wehda's coach used an eleven-player rotation and allowed the starting five to rest. Markus Loncar produced a double-double by scoring 29 points and 23 rebounds (on 11-of-14 shooting from the field) for lost side. Al Wehda maintains seventh position with 8-8 record. Loser Al Taawoun still closes the standings with 15 games lost. Al Wehda will meet Deba (#11) in the next round. Al Taawoun will play against Ohod and looks forward to get finally their first victory.

There were no shocking results in the other games in round 16: Al Nassr destroyed Al Safa on the opponent's court 95-75. Al Fateh lost to defending champion Al Ahli in a home game 70-88. Al Hilal managed to beat Al Khaleej on the road 91-76.
The most impressive stats of the last round was 21 points, 17 rebounds and 4 blocks by Mohammed Alsuwailem of Al Hilal.



Al Safa - Al Nassr 75-95

Very expected game in Safwa where 9th ranked Al Safa (4-11) was crushed by second ranked Al Nassr (13-2) 95-75 on Friday. Americans were the main players on the court. Carlton Bragg Jr (208-1995, college: N.Mexico) fired a double-double by scoring 22 points and 16 rebounds for the winners. Guard PJ Hardy (185-1998, college: Louisiana) chipped in 27 points. Guard Dallas Morgan (185, college: CMU) produced a double-double by scoring 23 points, 10 rebounds and 8 assists and center Jalone Friday (206-1996, college: NM State) added 10 points and 9 rebounds respectively for lost side. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. Al Nassr maintains second position with 13-2 record behind leader Ittihad. Newly promoted Al Safa keeps the ninth place with 11 games lost. Al Nassr will meet at home Al Khaleej (#10) in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Al Safa will play against Al Hilal in Riyadh and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Al Safa: D.Morgan 23+10reb+8ast, A.Reda 15+1reb, D.Dixson 11+5reb, J.Friday 10+9reb+2ast, A.Hassan 9+2reb+3ast, A.Musab 5+1reb
Al Nassr: P.Hardy 27+4reb+2ast, C.Bragg Jr. 22+16reb+2ast, A.Jallas Nasser 16+4reb+2ast, K.Musab 12+8reb+3ast, T.Almuhanna 9+3reb+5ast, A.Salem 5+1reb+3ast

Al Fateh - Al Ahli 70-88

Rather predictable result in Al Hasa where fourth ranked Al Ahli (12-3) defeated 6th ranked Al Fateh (8-7) 88-70 on Friday. Al Ahli dominated down low during the game scoring 56 of its points in the paint compared to Al Fateh's 36. Al Ahli forced 19 Al Fateh turnovers. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 21 assists. American Hollis Thompson (203-1991, college: Georgetown) fired 17 points and 9 rebounds for the winners. The former international Ali Shubayli (190-1996) chipped in 20 points and 5 rebounds (on 9-of-11 shooting from the field). Five Al Ahli players scored in double figures. American-Dominican forward Edgar Sosa (189-1988, college: Louisville) produced 25 points and 4 assists and Mohammed Al-Saquer added 9 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists respectively for lost side. Both coaches used bench players and allowed the starting five to rest. Al Ahli have an impressive six-game winning streak. Defending champion moved-up to third place, which they share with Al Hilal. Loser Al Fateh keeps the sixth position with seven games lost. Al Ahli will meet at home Al Salam (#8) in the next round where they are favorite. Al Fateh will play against the league's leader Ittihad in Jeddah and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Al Fateh: E.Sosa 25+4reb+4ast, A.Fairley 11+4reb, M.Al-Saquer 9+6reb+5ast, A.Campbell 8+6reb+1ast, A.Al-Tamamr 5+1ast, A.Ali 5+1reb+2ast
Al Ahli: A.Shubayli 20+5reb+2ast, H.Thompson 17+9reb+2ast, M.Almuwallad 16+2reb+8ast, I.Aska 14+7reb, D.Liggins 12+6reb+8ast, M.Abdulrahman 5+1ast

Al Salam - Ittihad 80-96

SBL top team - Ittihad (14-2) had no problems winning another game on Friday. This time they beat eighth ranked Al Salam (7-9) in Al-Awamiyah 96-80. It ended at the same time the four-game winning streak of Al Salam. Worth to mention a quality performance of American guard Kevin Murphy (197-1990, college: Tenn Tech) who helped to win the game recording 18 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists and the other American import center James Edwards Jr (211-1997, college: Southern) who added 20 points during the contest. Ittihad's coach Mohamed Kardani used entire bench which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. At the losing side American swingman Brandon Spearman (191-1991, college: Hawaii) responded with 30 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists and American-Bahrain Wayne Chism (206-1987, college: Tennessee) produced a double-double by scoring 12 points and 19 rebounds. Five Ittihad and four Al Salam players scored in double figures. Ittihad have an impressive five-game winning streak. They maintain first position with 14-2 record. Al Salam at the other side keeps the eighth place with nine games lost. Ittihad are looking forward to face Al Fateh (#6) in Al Hasa in the next round where they are favorite. Al Salam will play on the road against Al Ahli in Jeddah and is hoping to prove to their fans that the loss was just an accident.
Top scorers:
Al Salam: B.Spearman 30+9reb+4ast, A.Bader 16+5ast, Y.Fallatah 13+3reb+5ast, W.Chism 12+19reb, E.Fawaz 3+2reb, A.Nimer Hussain 3+3reb+4ast
Ittihad: J.Edwards Jr. 20+4reb+1ast, K.Murphy 18+6reb+6ast, M.Almarwani 11+5reb+6ast, A.Yasir 10+3reb, M.AlMarwani 10+7reb+1ast, A.Mustafa 9+3reb

Ohod - Deba 122-105

Bottom-ranked Deba (0-13) is still winless. This time they lost on the road their 13th consecutive match to sixth ranked Ohod (9-6) 122-105. Ohod dominated down low during the game scoring 70 of its points in the paint compared to Deba's 44. The winners were led by American guard Jonathon Simmons (198-1989, college: Houston) who scored that evening 28 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists and the other American import center Henry Sims (208-1990, college: Georgetown) supported him with 18 points and 8 rebounds. Ohod's coach allowed to play the deep bench players saving starting five for next games. Even a triple-double of 36 points (!!!), 12 rebounds and 10 assists by American-Jamaican guard Josh Nicholas (190-1998, college: ULM) did not help to save the game for Deba. Guyanese-American forward Kevin Mickle (201-1993, college: Ohio) added 35 points (!!!) and 8 rebounds for lost side. Five Ohod and four Deba players scored in double figures. Ohod moved-up to fifth place. Deba at the other side still closes the standings with 13 games lost. Ohod will play against bottom-ranked Al Taawoun (#12) in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Deba will play against Al Wehda and hopes to get finally their first victory.
Top scorers:
Deba: J.Nicholas 36+12reb+10ast, K.Mickle 35+8reb+3ast, M.Mohammed 17+4reb+1ast, A.Mohammed 15+5reb+3ast, A.Eyad 2+3reb+2ast, A.Rayan 0
Ohod: J.Simmons 28+8reb+5ast, D.Deng 18+7reb+2ast, H.Sims 18+8reb+2ast, F.Abdulrahman 17+3reb+2ast, S.Mohammad 17+4reb+1ast, A.Obaidi 7+4reb

Al Wehda - Al Taawoun 100-83

Bottom-ranked Al Taawoun (0-15) is still winless. This time they lost on the road their 15th consecutive match to seventh ranked Al Wehda (8-8) 100-83 on Friday evening. Al Wehda looked well-organized offensively handing out 27 assists. American guard Donte McGill (190-1995, college: FIU, agency: Green Sports Management) fired a double-double by scoring 53 points (!!!), 9 rebounds and 11 assists for the winners. Senegalese-Spanish power forward Mamadou Samb (210-1989) chipped in a double-double by scoring 16 points and 12 rebounds. McGill is a former Eurobasket Summer League player, which is considered top international summer league in the market. Al Wehda's coach used an eleven-player rotation and allowed the starting five to rest. Bosnian center Markus Loncar (213-1996) produced a double-double by scoring 29 points and 23 rebounds (on 11-of-14 shooting from the field) and American power forward Devin Gilmore (200-1997, college: Murray St.) added 29 points and 6 rebounds respectively for lost side. Al Wehda maintains seventh position with 8-8 record. Loser Al Taawoun still closes the standings with 15 games lost. Al Wehda will meet Deba (#11) in the next round. Al Taawoun will play against Ohod and looks forward to get finally their first victory.
Top scorers:
Al Taawoun: D.Gilmore 29+6reb+2ast, M.Loncar 29+23reb+2ast, A.Alwaleed 9+5reb+4ast, B.Murad 8+6reb+10ast, K.Mahmoud 5+3reb+5ast, A.Abdullah 3+2reb
Al Wehda: D.McGill 53+9reb+11ast, M.Samb 16+12reb+2ast, M.Thamer 10+1reb+2ast, A.Ayob 9+1reb+4ast, B.Hussam 5+3reb+2ast, B.Abdulmajeed 5+1reb+1ast

Al Khaleej - Al Hilal 76-91

Not a big story in a game when 9th ranked Al Khaleej (4-12) was defeated at home by fourth ranked Al Hilal (12-3) 91-76 on Friday. Al Hilal made 16-of-21 free shots (76.2 percent) during the game. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 25 assists comparing to just 11 passes made by Al Khaleej's players. The former international center Mohammed Alsuwailem (211-1998) fired a double-double by scoring 21 points, 17 rebounds and 4 blocks (on 10-of-13 shooting from the field) for the winners. American guard Antwan Scott (185-1992, college: Colorado St.) chipped in a double-double by scoring 20 points, 9 rebounds and 10 assists. Four Al Hilal players scored in double figures. Congolese-French forward Nobel Boungou-Colo (202-1988) produced 22 points and 8 rebounds (made all of his nine free throws !!!) and American forward James Farr (208-1992, college: Xavier) added 12 points and 12 rebounds respectively for lost side. Both coaches used bench players and allowed the starting five to get some rest. Al Hilal have a solid four-game winning streak. They moved-up to third place, which they share with Al Ahli. Al Khaleej lost fifth consecutive game. Newly promoted team dropped to the tenth position with 12 games lost. Al Hilal will meet at home Al Safa (#9) in the next round where they are favorite. Al Khaleej will play against the league's second-placed Al Nassr in Riyadh and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Al Khaleej: N.Boungou-Colo 22+8reb+2ast, D.St.Hilaire 17+5reb+2ast, J.Farr 12+12reb+1ast, M.Almutairi 8+5reb+2ast, E.Ibrahim 6+7reb+2ast, A.Mosa 5+2reb
Al Hilal: A.Mohammed 21+17reb+3ast, A.Scott 20+9reb+10ast, D.Walton 20+3reb+4ast, N.Alabsi 15+4reb+3ast, T.McCallum 8+2reb+1ast, O.Albargawi 7+4reb+3ast